Happy Monday. A few notes today:
- Some theater lovers at UVA have embarked on an exciting new project: "Musical: The Online Musical" is an interactive creative project that uses the input of YouTube viewers to guide its plotline. Check out a teaser below; the first episode airs September 20. Of course, this is yet another good time to bring up Weezer, whose Rivers Cuomo led a hilarious, YouTube-based "Let’s Write a Sawng" contest in 2008 that used YouTube input to create a song that’s about as good as any he’s written since the Green Album.
- The New York Times reports today on an upcoming deluge of harsh films about Wall Street, including a new one recently acquired by locally-owned ATO pictures: Casino Jack, which opens in December, stars Kevin Spacey in a flick about Jack Abramoff, the Republican superlobbyist who was sent to prison after orchestrating a fraudulent casino deal (and who now works in a Baltimore pizza shop). ATO’s latest, Mao’s Last Dancer, opens soon at Vinegar Hill Theatre.
- If you can’t get your fill of high-minded music at the Chamber Music Festival, UVA celebrates the 200th birthday of Frederic Chopin this week. The events begin Thursday with a talk and screening of "Impromptu" (the absolutely delicious Hugh Grant plays Chopin), with plenty of master classes and recitals to choose from. It all culminates in a cool event on Saturday night: a recreation of Chopin’s final recital, at 8pm in Old Cabell Hall. Suggestion for a fun birthday event? Pin the coattail on the 19th century composer.
Chopin’s Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op.9 No.2
